A buffer solution is typically an aqueous solution containing a mixture of a weak acid and its conjugate base, or a weak base and its conjugate acid, and has the property that the pH of the solution changes very little when a small amount of strong acid or base is added to it. Buffer solutions are therefore used as a means of keeping pH at a nearly constant value in a wide variety of chemical applications, including e.g. chromatography, filtration, etc. They are in particular used to prepare solutions of proteins, which are highly sensitive to changes in pH. In general, a buffer solution may be made up of more than one weak acid and its conjugate base. For instance, a wider buffer region may be created by mixing two buffering agents with overlapping individual buffer regions.
A buffer solution having a desired pH, and optionally also ionic strength, may be prepared by calculating the necessary amounts of the ingredients of the buffer and mixing them. While it is often necessary to solve several different equations for calculating the pH of a relatively simple mixture of a weak acid (or base) and a strong base (or acid) depending on their relative concentrations, there is commercial software available for performing such calculations. For many applications, it would be desirable to also be able to predict the expected solubility of the buffer to be prepared. However, due to the complex nature of buffers solutions, being combinations of strong electrolytes like salts and strong acids or bases that dissociate completely and weak electrolytes like buffer substances that ionize partially, this has so far generally not been possible.
Accordingly there is a need for methods allowing accurate predictions of buffer solubilities. There is also a need for systems to prepare highly concentrated buffer stock solutions without risk for precipitation.